▪	RELEASED BY:		TOKYOPOP
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		TATSUHIKO TAKIMOTO / KENDI OIWA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / BW
		▪	PAGES:		200
		▪	RATING:		M
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		12/04/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		01/11/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		SCOTT CAMPBELL

Welcome to the NHK actually won the “Book of the Month” award from Newtype USA, pretty much the best anime magazine in North America. It’s hard not to appreciate this excellent little bit of writing, characterization and art. It’s an all around great series, both in anime and manga, with many enjoyable differences between the two forms of media. The manga is just great – the art and style art so well put together and so professional. You really get the sense of reading something mature and well thought out – like a real work of art. It’s got drama, it’s got humor, it’s got serious thoughts to present, and even some heart to it. It’s the story of a closed in, socially nervous individual and his battle with reality – all related to manga and anime of course!

Volume five is a drug infused disaster for our poor hero. After going to a bath house under the influence of some shady drugs from Yamazaki, Satou spirals out of control and completely loses his mind. With conspiracy theories and paranoia getting the best of him, he’s quickly admitted to a hospital and then sent soon afterwards to live with his unfortunate parents. Will moving back home set Satou on the path to normalcy, or will the lack of privacy cause some unexpected problems? Most likely the latter of the two!

The story is both complex and straight forward in a way. We know what Satou must overcome, but it’s a lot easier said than done for the most part. The poor guy has so many years of mental anguish and confusion stacked against him, it’s hard to know if he will ever be able to again be like a normal person. Anime, games and manga are his escape from the world, but he needs to stop trying to completely escape and find a good balance between reality and the unreality of his hobbies. It’s excellent in the way that it picks apart the mind of an obsessed fan and lets us peer through the window to his muddled existence. It’s hilarious at times, but also a warning. Don’t let your hobbies consume you completely!

The art is clean and detailed. It’s just a joy to look at. The printing and the darkness of the ink is perfect. When you see a number of books that have lower production values, it’s so much easier to appreciate the excellent production values of a series like Welcome to the NHK. The visual layout is great to – everything flows well and the pages are never overcrowded. Text is always readable and flows without confusion. When “they” get it right, “they” really get it right – and that’s NHK for you: A well thought out product.

IN SUMMARY:
Completely recommended for any hardened anime and manga fan – this series may really speak to you in ways that other books won’t. Smart, funny and full of character, Welcome to the NHK is a true gem amongst so many lesser series available – this one has some real substance to it.